By remaining silent, Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal have encouraged corruption: Marco Trungelliti

It is often said that tennis is a rich man’s game. Quality training and equipment are difficult to afford unless you are relatively wealthy.

When it comes to life on the tour, the top-ranked players are the ones who earn more prize money, and they find it easier to deal with the enormous expenses of the game. Marco Trungelliti, who is among the less fortunate players on tour and currently ranked No. 231 in the world, revealed in an interview with letemps.ch that the huge disparity in pay leads to corruption in the sport.

In a more startling disclosure, Trungelliti also blamed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for playing a part in the growth of corruption by refusing to raise their voices against it.

«Je n’attendais rien de Nadal ou Federer mais [un soutien public de leur part] aurait porté un tout autre message, incité d’autres à parler plutôt qu’à se taire. En restant silencieux, ils ont encouragé la corruption, même passivement.» https://t.co/AR6TS0CDWS par @LaurentFavre

— Laurent Favre (@LaurentFavre) August 3, 2020

I wasn't expecting anything from Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal: Marco Trungelliti

Marco Trungelliti is best known for his role in the Argentinian match-fixing incident of 2015. He across information that players were accepting considerable amounts of bribe to fix Futures matches, and declined to be a part of it despite being one of the less privileged players.

Trungelliti lodged a formal complaint against the wrongdoers, and made headlines for lifting the lid on the scandal.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

The Argentine, however, believes that top players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could do more to fight for the rights of the underprivileged - instead of always looking to serve their own interests.

While the Swiss has amassed a whopping $130 million in prize money, Nadal is not far behind at $121 million. In stark contrast, Trungelliti has managed to make just a little above $1 million, which is by no means sufficient to cover the cost that an average tennis player has to incur on the tour.

Trungelliti, clearly displeased at this disparity, indirectly hinted that players on the ATP Player Council - of which both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are a part - don't do as much as they should. The Argentine compared the prize money received by lower-ranked players to the sums offered by bookmakers; the difference is seemingly so large, that it is easy for any player to get tempted.

“In tennis, too many individuals make decisions in their own right based on private interests," Trungelliti said. "The system is bad. I always compare it to a city of 3000 inhabitants of which only 70 inhabitants would live well. Who would accept that? Tennis accepts it, and offers $200 in winnings after a week of work when punters offer you 3000 or 5000 to fix a game.”

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

The Big 3 and more specifically Roger Federer have been accused in the past for keeping a bulk of the prize money at the top levels of the sport. Players like Gilles Simon, Marion Bartoli and Gonzalo Lama have accused the Swiss of indifference towards the lesser-ranked players on tour.

Trungelliti on his part faced a lot of heat from his fellow players for being a 'snitch', and even a few threats from Argentina. He claims that at such a difficult time, the support he received from Roger Federer and the rest of the Big 3 was almost non-existent.

“I wasn't expecting anything from Federer or Nadal, but it would have carried a whole different message, prompting others to speak up rather than shut up," Trungelliti said. "By remaining silent while giving interviews or posting on social media all the time, these players have encouraged corruption, even passively."

Roger Federer is the highest-earning athlete in the world

The Argentine's argument is rooted in the premise that if Roger Federer (and Rafael Nadal) had shown more support for the lower-ranked players, those players wouldn’t have had to indulge in match-fixing to earn a few extra bucks. Considering the kind of influence that the Swiss maestro possesses, it doesn’t seem like an impossible task for him to convince the ATP to introduce more parity in prize money.